Being Respectful
Ephesians 6:1-5
Know – what the Word says
Main idea of the passage:
Paul encouraged the believers at Ephesus to respect those whom God has placed in positions of authority, and for believers in authority to respect those whom God has placed under them.
Explanation:
Respect goes both ways. While it is true that children should obey their parents and that slaves should obey their masters, Paul makes the point here that it is equally true that there is a measure of respect we have for one another, regardless of the position one holds.
Those in authority must also show proper respect to those they’re leading by not “exasperating” them and not threatening them or showing favoritism. Again, the theme that Paul has been on since chapter 5 is that God has placed structures and relationships in certain orders for a purpose, and when we walk according to that structure, things work. When we ignore that structure, our brokenness is magnified.
Live – what the Word says
Main application of the passage:
Show respect, whether to those in authority over you or those whom you lead.
Application:
Being a disciple of Christ carries with it some of the greatest joys in life. We rejoice as we see those whom we’ve invested in come to know Christ. We are overjoyed when our kids grow up to embrace the call of God on their lives.
There are sweet times of worship where our joy is almost uncontainable. But there are also times when being a disciple of Christ is very costly. We don’t have the option of deciding which commands of God we will follow and which we won’t, and the rubber hits the road in our Christian lives when obedience to God’s command gets hairy.
What do we do when our boss is breathing down our neck and accusing us of things we didn’t do? We love and we serve. What do we do when our friends mock a decision we’ve made for our kids or grandkids? We love and we pray. What do we do when elections don’t go the way we wanted or that cop writes us a ticket or that customer blesses us out for the 10th time? We love.
Rogers– Lessons by Bucky Rogers, minister to students at Anderson Mill Road Baptist Church, Moore, since 2006. Rogers, originally from Cleveland, Tenn., is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and Southern Seminary.